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169 of 176 found the following review helpful:
Nick Drake sings songs and plays guitar on his final album Jan 17, 2004
By Lawrance M. Bernabo
In the throes of a depression that would see him dead at the age of 26 from an overdose of anti-depression medication, Nick Drake still managed to produce his last album, "Pink Moon." Unlike his first two efforts, which consisted of orchestrated folk-pop music, this 1972 album was just Drake playing his acoustic guitar and singing (with a bit of piano here and there). The result is a bleak testament to melancholy and alienation that has a haunting and pristine beauty. There are only eleven songs, most of which are under three minutes in length, which is why the album is not even a half-hour long, but there is a sense in which anything longer would be too much to bear. "Pink Moon," by itself, justifies Drake's status as a cult figure among those who love folk-rock.Ironically, you have probably hear Nick Drake's music before, because the title track was used for a Volkswaggen commercial, just another example of how music is perverted to commercial interests (what else is new?). I have been spending the cold winter putting together mixes of folk music (in the broadest sense) and making a concerted effort to get beyond Bob Dylan and the Byrds to explore the likes of Sandy Denny and the Beau Brummels. Checking out Sandy Denny led me to Fairport Convention and Richard Thompson, and eventually to Ralph McTell and Nick Drake. Now I can only wonder what rock I have been living under that I have never come across these artists before. The title track is a beautiful folk ballad, performed with just Drake's superb acoustic guitar playing and haunting vocal. Throughout the album you notice the depth of his lyrics and his guitar playing. The latter might have been lost in an album with orchestration, but here you have the opportunity to listen to the openings of "Radio" and "Parasite" unadorned. For the former a choice example would be the opening of what is probably the best song on the album (it is hard to choose), "Which Will," which begins: "Which will you go for/Which will you love/Which will you choose from/From the stars above?" There is a simple elegance to the lyrics, captured by the vocals, and complimented by the more complex guitar playing. Nick Drake only produced three albums, so there is no reason not to have all of them in your music library. These works represent the very best of the British folk-rock scene and Drake is a first rate singer-songwriter whose songs of failed romance, mortality, and depression are quite affective. Drake intended "Pink Moon" to be his final album, saying he had nothing left to record. When you lose yourself listening to these songs, you can actually convince yourself that this was true.
114 of 119 found the following review helpful:
Shocked to see Pink Moon in a VW Cabrio ad Dec 10, 1999
To my surprise recently I saw the VW Cabrio ad with Nick Drake singing "Pink Moon". I thought, "Wow, great! More people getting turned on to Nick Drake's music, I hope!" Each Nick Drake album is a little different, but each is fulfilling in its own way. If you enjoy this release then you will definitely want the Fruit Tree boxed set which compiled all three of his studio albums plus a fourth CD of extra tracks. It is well worth the money spent, trust me. Pink Moon itself is way stark. Just the man and his acoustic guitar (with a touch of piano on the title track). But the songs themselves, the minute you hear them (and it's only 29 minutes of them on this album), they sound like you've heard them before. If you're into old REM you'll see in a few of these tracks how they were influenced. If you enjoy this release, you may want to check out Elliott Smith's releases, especially his album "XO". It is in a similar vein to Nick Drake.
156 of 168 found the following review helpful:
Drake finally gets the success his music so deserved Jun 11, 2000
By Tom the Bike Guy
I acquired this album from a friend about 6 months before VW decided to use the title track in their Cabrio commercial. I found it amazing that almost no-one had heard of Nick Drake, prior to the VW ad that is. The cd is 28 minutes or so, and it is purely amazing, just a wonderful way to pass half an hour of time. Most of the songs on Pink Moon are played in alternate tunings which account for their somewhat "different" sound. The cd has a very simple and clean feel to it, likely because it is merely Nick on acoustic guitar with occasional piano parts. So if you're into acoustic guitar music, you should like this album. Overall I find Pink Moon very peaceful, nice to relax to. Just sit back in your recliner, close your eyes, and really *listen*. To me it's mind-boggling that his music has been overlooked for more than 25 years. It's a shame Nick didn't live to see the success of his music.
42 of 44 found the following review helpful:
Commercial a necessary evil Mar 27, 2000
By Stan
When I first saw and heard "Pink Moon", one of my favorite songs for many years, being used in a Volkswagen commercial, my first thought was, "Oh, cool. Nick Drake's music is finally being brought to the masses." Believe me, I've seen many examples of great songs being tarnished forever by being used in a bad commercial, but this isn't one of them. The song is used tastefully and respectfully; Nick Drake largely shunned human contact, so he would probably have approved of the commercial's depiction of 4 kids who decide they'd rather just drive around on a starry night than go to some party and get wasted and laid. I'd also say that, judging from the fact that a 28 year old record is #12 (Mar. 27) on the Amazon best sellers list, that the song is just as much a commercial for Nick Drake as it is for Volkswagen. Think of the power of a 30 second snippet of a song: without any information about the artist, people have searched out this deceased man's music, wanting to hear it again. My hope is that these neophyte Nick Drake fans will listen beyond the title track and discover just what an amazing album "Pink Moon" really is. That song is just one of an amazing collection, recorded by a man in extreme despair, with lyrics that appear to be out of some poet's feverish dreams. Maybe they'll then move on to Drake's other wonderful albums. And hey, if it took a car commercial for this to happen, so be it.
29 of 29 found the following review helpful:
His best Nov 25, 2000
By Rob Damm
I found this album in a used LP bin in 1990. I bought it because the cover was cool. At first listen, I was unimpressed. It sounded so... bare, so basic. Nonetheless, I found myself listening to the record again and again... until I suddenly realized I had come to love it. A few years later, I picked up "Fruit Tree" which included everything Nick Drake had ever recorded on 4 CD's. Pink Moon remained my favorite. After experiencing the spare, delicate arrangements of "Pink Moon", it was hard to relate to the horns and strings n "Bryter Layter" and "Five Leaves Left"... the songs are great on those two records, but I feel the production hopelessly dates them. Just the other day, being an obesessive about sound quality, I bought the new 24 bit remaster of this album. The new CD sounds at least as good as the old LP (although, in honesty, my copy was neither an early pressing on anywhere near mint). Inner details are subtly revealed. Drake's voice has more "air" around it, you can discern the character more readily. The music itself,of course,remains utterly essential. The lyrics are spooky, the guitar playing is intricate. For all the talk about this being a "dificult" album, I feel it is actually very accesible. It is melodic, gorgeously wrought, full of mystery, and at times, full of joy.
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